Cloud-computing comes to aircraft: Honeywell has unveiled Anthem, its all-new flightdeck with always-on connectivity.
Honeywell says Anthem is a first in the industry and can be customised for almost every type of aircraft and flying vehicle, including large passenger and cargo planes, business jets, helicopters, general aviation aircraft, and the rapidly emerging class of advanced air-mobility (AAM) vehicles.
“Honeywell is not just launching a new flight deck today — we are changing the way pilots operate aircraft and creating a more intuitive experience than ever,” said Mike Madsen, president and CEO, Honeywell Aerospace.
“In the same way we moved from flip phones to smartphones, Honeywell Anthem will transform the pilot experience with customisable controls operated quickly and easily with a few swipes of the finger.”
The #HoneywellAnthem vision becomes a reality.
— Honeywell Aerospace (@Honeywell_Aero) October 7, 2021
Honeywell says Anthem is designed to solve two problems facing the aviation industry.
First, it creates ways for increasingly complex aircraft to function with more autonomy, relieving stress on pilots and promoting safety and efficiency.
Second, it enables the disjointed systems that support an aircraft to work together more seamlessly to deliver critical information to pilots.
Historically, says Honeywell, mechanics and pilots had to be on board aircraft with wired connections to transfer critical data like maintenance status and flight plans. Honeywell Anthem allows for this data transfer without needing to be near the aircraft.
Additionally, individual support systems (fuel, maintenance, catering, etc.) have also been disjointed, forcing pilots to interface with multiple third-party apps, websites and businesses both pre-flight and post-flight.
The pilot used to be required to integrate all this critical incoming information and then provide notifications to numerous support personnel prior to, during and after completing a flight.
Anthem generates and transfers data from ground-based servers so those involved in a flight’s operations have the information they always need, continues Honeywell. An aircraft doesn’t even need to be powered on for pilots and maintainers to see the information they might need prior to launching a flight.
Our newest cockpit system provides pilots with a connected, scalable, and intuitive interface never before seen in aviation. #HoneywellAnthem https://t.co/M1KGx8X134
— Honeywell Aerospace (@Honeywell_Aero) October 5, 2021
“Everyone who touches a flight is able to get information that matters to them when they need it,” said Vipul Gupta, vice president and general manager, Avionics, Honeywell Aerospace.
“The aircraft becomes accessible via the cloud computing infrastructure, and things like maintenance data, flight plans and overall aircraft status are stored automatically by the avionics or via ground-based applications used by support personnel. This means data is accessible by any authorized user from anywhere.”
Honeywell Anthem’s connectivity capabilities dramatically reduce pilots’ preflight preparation time, including wasted time in the cockpit, by up to 45 minutes per flight.
Honeywell Anthem integrates with electronic flight bag planning applications to let pilots create, store and retrieve flight plans from anywhere. After pilots load the flight plan remotely, it will be ready and waiting when they arrive at the aircraft.
In addition to its cloud-connected avionics, Honeywell says Anthem’s smartphone-like, easy-to-use interface is more intuitive than any other flight deck. It provides pilots and operations personnel with several capabilities that dramatically improve access to data, improving operational efficiency and safety.
Pilots or operators — whether in the cockpit or on their device at home — can customise the layout of digital displays within the cockpit to their preference.
Other features include:
- 3D Runway Overrun Alerting and Awareness System (ROASS) and 3D Airport Moving Maps.
- Track-based Synthetic Vision System
- Integrated Navigation Map and Vertical Situation Display
- Web browser that allows third-party applications and websites, ie live weather cameras.
In addition, Honeywell Anthem also integrates with Honeywell Forge, a software platform that includes in-air and on-ground solutions for flight operations, flight efficiency, and connected maintenance in a single user interface.
For future eVTOL aircraft
In addition to use on general aviation aircraft, rotorcraft and business jets, Honeywell Anthem will be available to future aircraft platforms in the emerging AAM market segment.
Honeywell Anthem has already been selected by Vertical Aerospace and Lilium for their vertical takeoff and landing, all-electric aircraft, the VA-X4 and 7-Seater Lilium Jet, respectively.
Stephane Fymat, vice president and general manager of Urban Air Mobility and Unmanned Aerial Systems at Honeywell, said, “One of the many great things about Honeywell Anthem is its ability to fit any aircraft — both literally and figuratively.
“It’s scalable and customisable, meaning we can bring this into almost anything that’s currently flying or will fly in the future.
